Abstract
This paper presents recent progresses in the application of nanostructured optical fiber-based sensors for non-invasive, fast and reliable monitoring of respiratory airflow. Molecular-level self-assembly processing method is used to form multilayered inorganic nanocluster and polymer thin films on the distal ends of optical fibers to form such sensors. In order to optimize sensing performance, recent work has studies the synthesis process and the fundamental mechanisms for the change in. optical reflection, specifically caused by exhaled air condensation on the coating surface. The physically small sensors fabricated by varying thin film chemistry, offer a full range of environmental relative humidity sensing from 0% to 100% with response times of microseconds, and mostly important, provide much higher sensitivity to breathing air, over 6 times larger than 100% relative humidity. The sensor performances in comparison with a medical nasal thermistor suggest such a thin film sensor an excellent device for advanced breathing airflow monitoring. All the features are appealing to clinical respiratory diagnosis and related sensor instrumentation design, and in good agreement with our analytical model.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 98 |
| Pages (from-to) | 407-410 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Volume | 5855 PART I |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 17th International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors, OFS-17 - Bruges, Belgium Duration: 23 May 2005 → 27 May 2005 |
Keywords
- Breathing
- Humidity sensor
- Molecular self-assembly
- Optical fiber sensor
- Thin film